F-16 Falcon Thread, News, Pics, videos

[ahho]

The new F-16V that Lockheed is pushing is pretty impressive. It looks like Taiwan will go for it, probably among others.

According to Lockheed:

​

Are those bumps fuel tanks?

 

[FORBIN]

Yes for fuel, CFT, Conformal Fuel Tanks allows carry more fuel without using weapons stations, significantly increases the range also more aerodynamic.

They provide an additional 440 US gallons or approximately 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg) of additional fuel, allowing increased range or time on station and frees up hardpoints for weapons instead of underwing fuel tanks

Only F-16 with a + after the number and F-16E/F block 60 can receive these CFT.

 

[Jeff Head]

Are those bumps fuel tanks?

Yes. What are known as Conformal Fuel Tanks, that conform to the body of the aircraft and allow more internal fuel.

Lets them carry more fuel without external fuel tanks and in a more stealthy manner. Gives better range.

The F-15E Strike Eagle did this. The new F/A-18E/F Advanced Super Hornet uses the same, and also adds a stealthy weapon pod.

Good ways to extend the life and effectiveness of these aircraft.

 

[FORBIN]

F-16 delivered to USAF :

Many, many !!!

768 F-16A/Bs : 43 Block 1, 73 block 5, 213 block 10 and 457 block 15, between 1978/85.

1,444 F-16C/Ds : 244 Block 25, 407 block 30, 62 block 32, 266 block 40, 196 block 42, 216 Block 50 and 53 Block 52, between 1984/2004.

Total : 2212

US Navy :
26 F/TF-16N, 14 F-16A/B embargo Pakistan

Total : 40


TOTAL US services : 2252

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[thunderchief]

Bad news for two-seater F-16 (F-16B and F-16D )

Pentagon Tells International Partners to Inspect F-16B Fleet for Cracks

WASHINGTON — As the Pentagon works to analyze and repair widespread cracks in its F-16D fleet, it is recommending that partner nations closely inspect their F-16B and D models.

Meanwhile, the US Air Force is bracing for a potential delay in training if the majority of its F-16D fleet is grounded for a significant period .

Cracks were first discovered on an F-16D model on July 31, and a Time Compliance Technical Order — a directive from the service — was quickly issued ordering the inspection of the entire F-16D fleet. That resulted in 82 of the service’s 157 F-16D models being grounded.

That inspection order applies to F-16B and F-16D models used around the world, an Air Force spokesman confirmed. While the US Air Force no longer operates the B model, Turkey, Israel, Belgium, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Denmark and Norway are among customers who would need to inspect their fleet.

A Pentagon news release referred to the damage as “canopy sill longeron cracks found between the front and rear pilot seats.” That is part of the frame of the aircraft that surrounds the cockpit area of the jet. When the canopy is lowered, it rests on the longeron.

Both the F-16B and F-16D are two-seat variants of the jet.

While it works out a solution to the damage, the service has begun planning how to contain the impact of a long-term grounding of the F-16D fleet.

“The Air Force is working with its F-16 operational units to mitigate the impact on operations, training, and readiness,” Maj. Carla Gleason, a spokeswoman for the service’s Air Education and Training Command, said in response to a query. “Programmed flying training and F-16D graduation delay impact will depend on the number and timing of aircraft returned to service. Subject matter experts are considering courses of action to mitigate these delays.”...........

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[Equation]

Bad news for two-seater F-16 (F-16B and F-16D )

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The F-16 is a little smallish to be a two seater to me. Why not just continue building more F-15E two seater instead? Longer range and more payload therefore can do a lot more in the air than a single engine two seat F-16 type.

 

[TerraN_EmpirE]

The F-16 is a little smallish to be a two seater to me. Why not just continue building more F-15E two seater instead? Longer range and more payload therefore can do a lot more in the air than a single engine two seat F-16 type.

The 16B predates the 15E by a few years they were meant for transitional flying form trainer types to Vipers. They also have been pulling double duty in the USAF as Transition trainers for Raptors since F22 lacks a 2 seater. Until the T-X comes online the Advanced flight trainer for the USAF is the T38C tallon which dates to the days of IKE.

 

[Scratch]

Being smaller, and especially single-engine, saves money during procurement, maintenance and suppply. That is a real concern. As said, for the US those 2-seaters are just trainers. But for other nations with smaller budgets, they take on operational roles as well. And I guess for complex multi-role strike missions, wich are then all centered on those Vipers, a second crewmember does make sense.

 

[TerraN_EmpirE]

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Fix Decided on For F-16 Cracks
Sep. 5, 2014 - 03:45AM | By AARON MEHTA |
FILED UNDER
World News
North America
WASHINGTON — The US Air Force and Lockheed Martin have reached agreement on a fix for a series of cracks impacting F-16B and D fleets around the world.

The fix involves attaching steel and aluminum straps to the front fuselage area, a service spokeswoman told Defense News.

“We expect to have a final drawing for this repair from Lockheed Martin on 5 Sep.,” Susan Murphy, a spokeswoman for US Air Force Materiel Command, wrote in an email. “Once we receive this information we will evaluate the repair to determine implementation timelines to include manufacture of the straps and verification of the repair.”

“Lockheed Martin is actively working with the US Air Force on a permanent repair solution for the canopy sill longeron cracks,” a company spokesman said in a statement. “The repair drawing, as it is known, is now available and we will continue to support the Air Force as it works to implement, manufacture and verify the repair installation.”

The cracks in question are on the canopy sill longeron, part of the frame of the aircraft that surrounds the cockpit area of the jet. Cracks were first discovered on an F-16D model on July 31, and the service ordered inspections of the entire F-16D fleet. That resulted in 82 of the service’s 157 F-16D models being grounded.

According to initial Air Force figures, the largest number of cracked F-16D models were at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, where all 35 planes were found to have cracks.

That inspection order also applies to the F-16B and F-16D models used internationally. According to figures provided by the Teal Group, a Virginia-based consultancy, more than 150 F-16B and 400 F-16D models are operating around the world.

While the US Air Force no longer operates the B model, Turkey, Israel, Belgium, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Denmark and Norway are among customers that must inspect their fleets. The Air Force could not provide data on how many international partners have been impacted by the damage.

The fact that reinforcing the cockpit area is an option is good news for the Air Force and the international partners who operate the two-seater F-16 designs. The service was also considering replacing the longeron entirely on the jets, a more invasive, and likely expensive, repair.

The service had played around with the idea of installing fasteners around the damaged areas as a temporary solution that could give the jets an extra 50-100 hours of flying time. Lockheed delivered the first such kit on August 8, which was installed on an F-16D model at Ogden Air Logistics Complex. That plane, however, will be the only one to receive the temporary repair.

“At this time, all other units have opted to wait for the permanent strap repair due to the relatively low service life of this temporary repair, risk of additional fastener hole damage by two removals and the time associated aircraft disassembly and reassembly to implement the two repairs separately,” Murphy wrote.

“This option is no longer being pursued.”

As a result of the cracks, the US grounded more than half its F-16D fleet. That is going to have an impact on training, warned the service’s top military official.

“There’s going to be a short term impact because that F-16D fleet is heavily used in our training enterprise, so it will slow down training for a while until we get the solution in place,” Gen. Mark Welsh, Air Force chief of staff, told Defense News.

“We’ll still get the training done, but it will take longer to get done,” Welsh added. “We’ll have fewer pilots come out of the F-16 pipeline in the next year, and that means our replacement plan for pilots in the fleet will change and have to slow down.

“It’s just going to impact everything that’s down the pipeline from that initial training program as we build an F-16 pilot.”■

 

[FORBIN]

RCAF F-18 and Portuguese F-16

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